Some musicians play the harmonica simultaneously with other instruments like guitar, piano, accordion, drums, etc. This can be done with a hands-free harmonica holder and the most prevalent harmonica holder is of the harness, or “neck-brace” design, commonly made of wire and designed with a clamping mechanism to hold the harmonica. When used by a performer on stage with amplified instruments and sound systems this neck-brace holder presents certain problems in that: (1) The harmonica is in constant motion in relation to the microphone thereby presenting an inconsistent sound level and tone. (2) A brace can be awkward to wear and the performer's movement near the microphone is hindered by the bulk of the brace itself. (3) A neck-brace holder requires an aggressive damping device to insure the harmonica is held firmly while the performer moves about. These damps make it difficult to change harmonicas quickly and easily. (4) These problems on the stage can also create problems for the audio engineer responsible for adjusting the volume and tone levels of all the other various band instruments on stage. With a performer utilizing a neck-brace harmonica holder, the audio engineer may need to make quick adjustments between the sound of the performer's singing voice and that of the performer's harmonica playing.
A less common harmonica holder but one with great potential is of the harmonica stand variety. Attempts at this approach have to date produced physically and visually awkward holders that are impractical in use. Some previous harmonica stands involve an entire stand built to hold a harmonica with a large dedicated microphone for the harmonica as well as a duplicate large vocal microphone for the performer to sing into. Other designs feature lame bulky shrouds or horns intended to envelop the harmonica and confine the sound, again to a secondary large dedicated microphone. These stands and holders require the performer to move significantly back and forth in position between the harmonica and the vocal microphone.